


Dirty

by AdventTraitor



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-25 23:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3829690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdventTraitor/pseuds/AdventTraitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ja'far gives Sinbad a...gentle...reminder about a promise made years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dirty

There was tension in the air—it was thick enough to slice with a knife.  Ja’far nearly did, his fingers twitching with the strange aura that had settled around the palace the last few hours.  To stay his urges, he clasped his hands tightly around his wrists, the sleeves of his robes hiding the obvious sign of discomfort.  He stood calmly, trying to keep his underlings in parliament tranquil as he moved out of the hall of scrolls, though he could tell that whatever was going on was affecting them as well—they scuttled about more quickly than usual, which did nothing to calm Ja’far’s nerves.

 

Pushing an errant strand of hair from his dark eyes, Ja’far swept down the corridors toward the only person who could possibly cause this much of an upset with his aura.  When he rounded the corner and pushed open the grand doors leading to his king’s offices, he discovered immediately that he was correct in his assumptions.

 

Sinbad sat at his desk, eyes wide as he stared at a map of the world with a lifeless gaze.

 

Ja’far raised his hands beneath his sleeves, the fabric moving to cover the lower half of his face as his eyes narrowed.

 

“What seems to be the problem, my king?” he asked softly, his gaze trained on the other man like a hawk stalking its prey.

 

Sinbad jumped at the sound, looking up toward Ja’far with alarm for a moment, before he relaxed and looked back to his maps, resting his chin on his own interlaced fingers.

 

“I won’t lose to them…” he muttered, golden eyes flitting around the parchment wildly.  His expression had a crazed edge to it, and the anxiety in the air spiked once more.  “I won’t lose.  I won’t lose.  They won’t win because I won’t lose.”

 

A dark eye twitched, and suddenly Sinbad cried out while the scent of blood filled the air moments later.

 

Sinbad grasped the hilt of a dagger with one hand, while trying not to move the other that the sharp end was pierced through.  He yanked up on it, but the blade had pierced through his hand and buried itself deeply into the wood of his desk.

 

After a few more moments of trying to pull the dagger out, Sinbad looked up to Ja’far with a disbelieving look on his face, his mouth open to roar his anger—but the cold bloodlust in Ja’far’s black irises stopped him dead in his tracks.

 

With his sleeves still covering his mouth, Ja’far spoke in a deceivingly soft voice.

 

_“Don’t…become…boring_ ,” he hissed, looking down his nose with wide, emotionless eyes.  Turning on his heel, Ja’far moved swiftly out of Sinbad’s office, leaving his king to gape silently as his robes swept around him while he took his leave.

 

Sinbad sat in silence, the blood trickling down and pooling on his desk as he watched the spot where Ja’far had disappeared.  Finally, he looked down and pulled the blade free, grunting at the pain.  That was his sword hand, too…truly, Ja’far had been aiming to _hurt_ him.  And Sinbad had been so preoccupied that he’d been able to.

 

He stood, wrapping his hand in the fabric of his robes and moved toward the window, staring out at his country and feeling the breeze pull at his hair.

 

He’d become soft.  Taking the things—the _people_ he had for granted.  He let himself get so wrapped up in the game— _game?_   Was this a _game?_   Were people’s lives something to play with?  When did collateral damage become acceptable?  When did manipulation of the most disgusting kind change from something abhorrent to a valuable tool?

 

He didn’t stand out anymore.  He was just as dirty as the rest of them.


End file.
